Download Lessons Learned about Learning, Our Majors, and Doing SoTL

A Descriptive, Longitudinal Study
of Sociology Majors: Lessons
Learned about Learning, Our
Majors, and Doing SoTL Work
ISU 2010 Teaching Learning
Symposium
International, cross-discipline ‘field’ in
higher education (societies,
conferences, journals…)
 Encourages and offers opportunities for
instructors to reflect on or study the
learning of their students and to make
those reflections/studies public
 The work is action research, local, often
descriptive, small N sizes, part of a bigger
picture…

To describe the development of …
1. the ability to use the sociological
imagination,
2. an identity as a sociologist,
3. autonomous learning, and
4. engagement in the discipline
by sociology majors over the course of
their career as a major.

Most past literature on learning in
sociology has focused on the following:
1. learning related to a specific
assignment in a course and/or
2. learning by nonmajors in Intro. To Soc. or
other specific courses
3. and/or uses student satisfaction data
only.

18 students
 members of one section of our first
required majors course in the discipline
 started inspring of 2008
Thus this was a purposive sample within
one cohort of our majors.


Time 1: self-administered questionnaire; openended question on a brief application of the
sociological imagination

Time 2: open-ended question about learning in the
first course

Time 3: face-to-face interviews

Time 4: self-administered questionnaire; openended question on a brief application of the
sociological imagination; open-ended question
about learning in the major
average motivation in sociology courses
(mean = 4.1)
 level of engagement in the discipline of
sociology (mean = 4.2)
 confidence in ability to successfully learn
sociology (mean =4.2)
 the extent to which you are an independent or
autonomous learner in college (mean = 3.9)
 extent you see yourself as a sociologist (mean
= 3.4)
(all on 5 point scales)


Why you majored in sociology:
1.
liked the subject matter of the discipline
2.
want to help others
What helps you engage/feel passionate
about sociology?
1. applicability of sociology and ‘real
world’ examples,
2. learning about new ways of thinking
and views of the world,
3. interesting subject matter,
4. learning about people,
5. the passion of their teachers.

What could help you become a more
autonomous learner?
1. interpersonal (e.g., teacher, relationship
with teacher, seeking help)
2. behaviors by self (e.g., attending class,
being responsible, working hard), and
3. environment (e.g., autonomous
supporting structure, few conflicts, few
distractions).

Most students were ambiguous about
whether they saw themselves as
sociologists.
 The factors that related to those self
perceptions included that they were still
unsure about the discipline and were still
learning, and that they were not yet or
didn’t plan to be a ‘professional’
sociologist.


Scores using the rubric to evaluate the
responses to the sociological imagination
question could range from 1= no valid,
plausible sociological level/type of
explanations to 5= excellent, multiple
sociological level/type of explanations.

Actual scores in this group at time one were 1
(46%), 2 (41%), and 3 (13%).

What most helps you learn the sociological
imagination: ‘practice and repetition’; ‘a
teacher’.
What did/are you learning in the first required majors
course?
1.
study skills
2.
sociological theory and concepts
3.
the sociological imagination and thinking sociologically


What helped you learn in the course? 10 of 19 responses
focused on the teacher and teaching assistants while
another 5 responses dealt with assignments and
homework.
Perceived barriers to learning in the course:
1.
the amount of work
2.
things going on in their personal lives


Why you majored in sociology:
1.
liked the subject matter of the discipline
2.
liked courses/teachers
3.
lack of fit of previous major to interests or goals
4.
influence of an advisor
5.
own personal history/status (e.g., being a gay
male).

Strategies that help you learn sociology:
1.
Good academic/study skills or strategies
2.
Interpersonal strategies and
connections
3.
Application and relevance
1.
Students reported they are engaged in sociology or
in sub-fields.
2.
Characteristics of engagement in the discipline…
going beyond what was required in a class, wanting
to do the work, high levels of participation, applying
sociology on their own, asking questions, and being
successful and doing good work.
3.
Increasing engagement…
having challenging work, interested teachers, and
class discussion as well as joining sociology club,
asking questions, and taking certain classes.

The students appeared to struggle with the
concepts of learner autonomy. Most thought
that they were basically autonomous learners
but this meant balance--balance between
trying to learn on their own and looking for
resources then asking for help when they
needed it.

Students thought extra resources such as
extra/optional readings, study groups and
sessions, and faculty members who are open
to student questions can increase autonomous
learning.

Students expressed a limited understanding of the
sociological imagination.

No one offered a concrete example of using
sociological imagination.

They said the sociological imagination was a
“difficult” and “abstract” concept that was “hard to
get my head around” and they “kept
misunderstanding it” and some “still don’t really get
it”.

As to what helps them learn it, they stressed
application.

Being a sociologist means…you think sociologically,
are critical, ask questions, are open-minded about
viewpoints, analyze society, and ask why.

As to whether they identify as a sociologist, one
student said yes but the others felt they were not yet
sociologists or they were “junior sociologists”.

They stated that this was because they still lacked
something: the degree, significant contributions to
the discipline, particular knowledge, or certain
experiences.
1.
One of the main initial reasons for picking sociology as a
major, ‘to help people’ drops out at Time 3. Interest in the
subject matter of sociology remained the primary reason.
2.
The students reported being engaged in the discipline at
both time 1 and 3.
3.
Students did not quite feel they were sociologists at either
time 1 or 3 but defined this a bit differently over time.
4.
At both time 1 and 3, students thought they were
somewhat autonomous in their learning in terms of
working on their own but knowing when and how to seek
help.

The importance of the role of others and of
application was a consistent theme in the
student responses about increasing
development and learning.

This finding replicates similar student
responses in past work in my program
(McKinney 2007) as well as fit with key ideas
related to identity formation, socialization,
and the development of self-authorship
(Baxter Magolda 2009).

Student responses related to using their
sociological imagination at Time 1 were
poor but expected.

Responses at Time 3 were still weak.

Consider more/better ways to socialize students into
the role of a sociologist.

Given that using the sociological imagination is a
critical part of the ways of thinking and practicing –
WTP--(McCune and Hounsell 2005) in sociology,
instructors, students, and student peers need to be
doing more to help majors acquire deep and lasting
learning about the sociological imagination.

Given the students’ emphasis on others and
application as aids to learning, we need to consider
how to strengthen and best use these.

Measures

Initial N size; access to students

Attrition/student lack of interest in project
Focus on the learning and experiences
in, and attitudes about, a sociology
senior thesis capstone course
 Multi-institutional (ISU and four other
schools)
 Multi method (pre and post
questionnaire, focus groups, learning
reflection essay, review of sample of
senior theses)
